Moving a parent into a Minnesota nursing home may involve a period of adjustment. Your mother or father has to learn to give up some degree of his or her independence, while you have to learn to entrust someone else with caring for your parent. You and your parent may both find the transition into a nursing home easier if you have full confidence in the home you choose.
To boost the chances of your parent receiving a high level of care at a nursing home, ask representatives of each home you are considering these questions.
How much employer turnover is there?
If a particular nursing home sees a lot of turnover among its staff, it begs the question of why. Are staff members not treated well or not receiving adequate salaries? When staff members are not satisfied with their positions, it often impacts the quality of care residents receive. On the flip side, when a nursing home sees low staff turnover, this is a good sign that employees feel satisfaction in their positions, and residents who live in such a home tend to benefit as a result.
What is the staff-resident ratio?
When nursing homes do not have enough people on staff at a given time, the chances of your loved one suffering an injury or fatality increase. Appropriate staff-to-resident ratios help ensure that your parent has access to mobility and other help when he or she needs it.
Other questions you may want to ask a prospective nursing home include whether the home accepts Medicaid and what it does to prevent the spread of illnesses and infections, among others.
